MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
EVENT REPORT
TriRock Durban Words By: Trace Rogers
Triathlon
As a coach, I prefer to train for races outside the racing season in Dubai. This leaves me free to focus on what is most important to me during race season – my clients’ progress. It also allows me to focus on quality training without compromise to them. For this reason (and the fact that most of my family live in the Durban/ Pietermaritzburg area of South Africa), the TriRock Durban appealed to me. Leading up to the race, there were some developments which resulted in me being fortunate enough to have my friends and clients - Rachael Delaunay and Chris Queen joined me for the event. The added bonus was the Rachaels’ husband Phillipe joined us as support and photographer. Having these three very wonderful people along made this trip a very special experience. We arrived in Durban to find out that they had been experiencing the biggest swells in 10 years and that there was a likelihood of the swim to be cancelled. I can’t say that I was too perturbed about this news. My feeling was that it would all quiet down by Sunday and that the race would remain a triathlon and not be adjusted to a duathlon. By briefing time on Saturday, the decision had indeed been made to keep the swim but change the course so that we started further down the beach and swam into the original starting point (to proceed to T1 as planned). We were all happy with this decision; it made for a very straight forward swim course. Or so we thought. Sunday morning arrived. Rachael, Chris and myself were all remarkably relaxed and in good spirits. We clearly had no idea what was coming our way. The swim The best way that I could describe the swim would be to say that it was about survival. Not in the dramatic sense of the word used in the TV series Survivor but with a genuine goal of getting out of the water alive. The start was calm and I have to say, I was happy with my progress since a ribcage injury had prevented me from doing any swim training in the final month leading up to the race. The only uneasy moment in the first part of the swim was looking down and seeing what was either a long sea snake or eel swimming directly below me. I involuntarily accelerated for a brief moment. Once calmer, I made the decision not to look down again. I reckon that was a good call because it could have been worse. Chris later reported seeing a big grey shadow that looked suspiciously like a shark!
Philippe, Chris, Myself and Rachael getting into the spirit of the race during registration.
At the briefing in the morning we were told that once we turned around the last buoy to make our way back to the shore, we were to stay to the left to avoid the big swells. Ok, I made a mental note, I would remember this, except that the swells were on top of me before I had even begun to start hanging left. I knew that trouble was coming when I happened to look up from behind a wave just about to break. What I saw was what could best be described as a water based version of a Cirque Du Soleil act. The swell was about 3m high and had about 10 people vertically stacked in it. At that moment I knew that it would not be long before I was in front of my own 3m high wave. I chose not to think about it any further. I got taken under twice. On both occasions, I was knocked underwater for several seconds (which seemed like eternity). On both occasions, I considered that this could very well be the last moments of my life. I grew up spending holidays paddle skiing the waves of the South Coast. Big swells were my friends, they meant good surfing. For me to admit to being terrified is a very big deal. This was definitely the most terrifying moment of my life. Fortunately for me, this too came to an end. I had survived. I was completely shaken up and I now also had two calf muscles that had gone into spasm. For a split second, I did consider bailing there and then. Whether it was the mantra that I had written on my hand (You are stronger than you think) or whether it was the thought of having to live with a DNF, I couldn’t tell but the next thing I knew, I was pulling my wetsuit off and run hobbling to get onto the bike. The bike This course was awesome a 90 km undulating ride up along the coast toward Ballito and back. The roads had recently been re-surfaced and were completely sealed. The route was exactly as I had expected it to be and exactly what I had trained for. Unfortunately, after the massive adrenaline spike, energy loss, and two spasmed calf muscles thanks to the swim exit, my game plan for the rest of the race had been shot to pieces. It was now simply about finishing. My legs stayed cramped. I expected/hoped that my legs would ease up on the bike. This was a completely unreasonable expectation. Nevertheless, my bike time was still fairly reasonable. The run would be interesting. The run It must have been the remnants of the adrenaline surge or the fact that I had trained
in warmer and more humid temperatures because for the first 4km, I effortlessly managed to achieve my targeted run pace. In fact for the first 3km, I had to physically reign myself in. By kilometre 7, things had changed. The earlier stress had brought about an asthma attack (earlier, I had questioned myself as to whether I really needed to drag my pump along with me for this race. I am so glad that I did) and the cramps in my calves had now spread to my quads and toes. I was a mess. My game plan then became one of walking until things got “better” and then running (which I imagine was in effect just a fast wobble) when I could and for as long as I could. Eventually the run ended. What was amazing about this run course was that it allowed supporters to get several glimpses of the athletes as they progressed around the course. Fillippe had come up behind me on several occasions to remind me that “you are stronger than you think”. I think he got a lot of smilage out of seeing me suffering whilst throwing my own mantra back at me. Nevertheless, I was so grateful for his encouragement and support. I was also so grateful to have Rachael, Chris and my friends Jenny, Peter, Josh and James from Durban at the finish line to welcome me in. Finishing a race in that fashion on my own would most definitely have had me sobbing into the ribbon of my finishers medal. The wrap up I may not have had the race that I trained for but the day was no means lost. Chris completed his first Half IM distance in a very impressive time and Rachael made us all proud by claiming third place in her age group. The athlete in me may have been disappointed but the coach was well proud. Despite the swim exit, which I am happy to report that miraculously (and also due to the skilful abilities of the lifeguards) there were no serious casualties, I would do this race again. In fact I would recommend that others do it too! The vibe throughout the whole race weekend was fantastic. The organisation was superb. The swag was top quality. It just had a real fun feel to it. The Tri Rock series is a brilliant alternative for those who look at alternative races to the bigger, more expensive, more formal franchised races. In short – TRI Rock Durban is a great way to challenge yourself in a very festive and beautiful environment. Rachael (centre) taking third place in her age category.